http://www.financealley.com en-us editorial@financealley.com Whether you're a corporate CEO, small business owner, manager, supervisor, staff member, consultant, or public servant, I'll bet you feel a strong, compelling desire to increase your company's (or your clients') effectiveness, reputation, and bottom line.... http://www.financealley.com/article_702174_15.html 01st December 2008 Have you ever felt so stymied by your choices that every time you stared down at your "chessboard of life," you weren't sure where you could possibly make a move? If so, you're in good company, since that's where many of us find ourselves at one time or a... http://www.financealley.com/article_663927_15.html 13th October 2008 We can measure the success of our organizations to a large extent by how much we learn, absorb, and apply from experience. Such organizational learning can occur either intentionally or accidentally! Therefore, we can assess the strength of our accumul... http://www.financealley.com/article_640565_15.html 17th September 2008 The science of persuasion has moved to a new level of intrigue as researchers attempt to discover which kinds of arguments or information help buyers make purchasing decisions. This article focuses on recent findings in this area and suggests how the rese... http://www.financealley.com/article_616425_15.html 03rd September 2008 If you currently have a business plan, how much of it taps your most creative, strategic thinking? Many plans are static, formal documents designed to impress potential financial backers, but do not necessarily serve as dynamic, living visions. And, if... http://www.financealley.com/article_592702_15.html 29th July 2008 So much of the brain research today seems to support the idea that what we perceive defines our reality. Isn't it interesting how our perceptions rule our beliefs and actions? This article examines the role that perception plays in the minds of consume... http://www.financealley.com/article_560721_15.html 21st June 2008 If you're currently using a suggestion box for your business, are you sincerely considering the recommendations and complaints you receive? If you haven't yet created an input collection system, I encourage you to create one and actively seek to fill it. ... http://www.financealley.com/article_522229_15.html 25th April 2008 Many people wonder what the future holds with respect to their businesses. Whether you want to predict the future or prescribe an outcome of your choosing, you'll have plenty of company! Throughout history, we humans have tried many ways to predict the... http://www.financealley.com/article_501308_15.html 01st April 2008 Developing one's "expert status" is taking the lead as a necessary element of business positioning. Why? Because as consumers, our ability to focus our attention has dwindled dramatically, due to the overwhelming deluge of information and advertising tha... http://www.financealley.com/article_478415_15.html 21st February 2008 Are you a whiz at predicting the schedule, cost, and resources your projects will require? Whether your company aims to develop a new product or service, update an existing system, or launch a new Web site, these undertakings will require people, sched... http://www.financealley.com/article_463274_15.html 29th January 2008 Your team's or your company's success depends on designing circumstances under which people can function most effectively. Creating a stellar organization thereby involves setting the conditions to help people do their very best work. The better you set t... http://www.financealley.com/article_215613_15.html 20th September 2007 Wherever you are today with respect to growing your company or organization, systematizing your activities is an essential part of setting the conditions for success. Because it's critical to establish a solid foundation before your business starts growin... http://www.financealley.com/article_203040_15.html 17th August 2007 As you may have guessed, providing great benefit to customers doesn't occur by accident. It comes directly from applying a well-designed value philosophy. What does it take to create outstanding products and services that are not only profitable, but also... http://www.financealley.com/article_187161_15.html 20th July 2007 Are your company policies and procedures causing your customers frustration and angst? Well, imagine that a customer who's been with your company for a while with no complaints finally has a reason to contact customer service because of what appears to... http://www.financealley.com/article_175307_15.html 16th June 2007 Do you experience excitement, enthusiasm, and passion in relation to what you do for a living? If so, you're most likely pursuing your life mission. On the other hand, do you know what happens when you choose a business direction that's not aligned wit... http://www.financealley.com/article_159435_15.html 14th May 2007 English speakers make an interesting semantic distinction between the words "customer" and "client," which can affect the way we view our constituents. Sometimes we use these expressions interchangeably in English, but more often than not, we intend th... http://www.financealley.com/article_148268_15.html 18th April 2007 Conducting great meetings depends on several activities that occur before, during, and after each event. To help you establish the conditions for success and attain the very best results, this article lists essential tips on using meeting notices, agendas... http://www.financealley.com/article_139368_15.html 27th March 2007 Today's media-saturated world challenges people to comprehend and respond quickly to a plethora of visual messages! Did you know that more than 300,000 new book titles appear annually, and over 18,000 magazines exist just in the U.S.? Our colleagues, empl... http://www.financealley.com/article_128537_15.html 12th February 2007 Successful beta testing starts even before your system is born! Does that idea sound strange? It's not really that odd when you think that beta testing is meant to involve a methodical prove-in of a carefully designed system, such as an electronic device,... http://www.financealley.com/article_120634_15.html 16th January 2007 Consistently pleasant customer experiences produce "raving fans" who spread positive "buzz" about our products and services. In contrast, even a single unhappy experience can sour a customer, who may then take her business elsewhere. This customer often d... http://www.financealley.com/article_111744_15.html 13th December 2006 Copyright 2006 Adele Sommers Striving for simplicity in the design of our products and services is a major step we can take toward ensuring customer satisfaction, boosting our bottom line, and keeping our relationships smooth and headache-free. In P... http://www.financealley.com/article_102354_15.html 16th November 2006 When we aim for consistency in our communications, values, messages, images, offerings, and the customer experiences we create, we take another significant step toward developing long-lasting and meaningful customer relationships that will boost our botto... http://www.financealley.com/article_98679_15.html 13th November 2006 Wouldn't it be great to have thoroughly trained experts handle every issue and solve every problem in your organization? Imagine what a perfect world it would be if, after hiring bright and eager people, you could provide them with a limitless amount of t... http://www.financealley.com/article_95019_15.html 17th October 2006 Copyright 2006 Adele Sommers What's the real formula for customer happiness? First, let's review what we know about customer unhappiness. We know that consumers expect our offerings to work exactly as advertised. Yet our products and services can intro... http://www.financealley.com/article_81509_15.html 14th August 2006 Copyright 2006 Adele Sommers Are you wrestling with cranky customers, low-vitality products, congested services, and an aching bottom line? You certainly don't need to. Why exactly does this occur? One major reason is that consumers expect products ... http://www.financealley.com/article_72584_15.html 16th July 2006 Copyright 2006 Adele Sommers Regardless of how good you believe your offerings or project solutions are, your clients and customers will be responding to "quality in perception" even more than "quality in fact." Quality in perception refers to things l... http://www.financealley.com/article_62914_15.html 16th June 2006 Copyright 2006 Adele Sommers Do you strive to ensure that your customers enjoy downstream success? Are you mostly concerned with your own financial gain, or do you also express a desire to see that your customers will succeed? If it's the latter, are y... http://www.financealley.com/article_55601_15.html 21st May 2006 Copyright 2006 Adele Sommers Why do some projects proceed without a hitch, yet others flounder? One reason may be the type and quality of the questions people ask at the very start. Below are 17 insightful queries that can expose the uncertain aspects ... http://www.financealley.com/article_44091_15.html 14th April 2006 Copyright 2006 Adele Sommers It's two weeks before the deadline. But your project is at least six weeks behind! Everyone is sweating bullets. As project leader, you're wringing your hands. A volcano of surprises has erupted since the project launched t... http://www.financealley.com/article_35577_15.html 13th March 2006 Copyright 2006 Adele Sommers Getting a handle on project risks is a slippery job, but well worth the effort if you and your project team desire to sleep more soundly at night. In Part 2 of this series, we identified various risks related to choosing, e... http://www.financealley.com/article_29009_15.html 14th February 2006 Copyright 2006 Adele Sommers Being optimistic is a wonderful thing, but being overly optimistic -- in the face of unrealistic odds -- can sabotage a project's success. Over-optimism abounds when people view every project as a "must-win" effort while fa... http://www.financealley.com/article_23276_15.html 11th January 2006 Copyright 2005 Adele Sommers Does your organization see every opportunity as a "must-win" project, even when it's a poor fit for your in-house talents? If so, this is one of several viewpoints that can blind your company to potential problems ahead. In... http://www.financealley.com/article_20214_15.html 17th December 2005 Copyright © 2005 Adele Sommers I'm sure you've experienced those typical "headache" meetings! You know the kind I'm talking about -- the ones where the key players are running late, no one knows exactly why the meeting was called, and there's no... http://www.financealley.com/article_7409_15.html 31st August 2005